Mail-carrier.



G. B. GONLBY.

MAIL CARRIER.

nrucnron nLnn MAR-30.1910.

Patented Jan.3, 1911.

2 SHEETS-SHEET}.

8444: e/wto'a C-E. Conley,

C(B. GONLEY.

MAIL CARRIER.

nrmoynon nun MAR.30,1910.

Patented Jan.3, 1911.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

CE Con/1 CLARENCE E. CONLEY, F PENN YAN', NEW YORK.

MAIL-CARRIER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 3, 1911.

Application filed March 30, 1910. Serial No. 552,317.

To all whom it may concern:

Be 1t known that'I, CLARENCE E. CoNLEY,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Penn Yan, in the county ofYates and State of New York, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Mail-Carriers, of which the following is aspecification, reference being had to the accompanying drawlugs.

My invention relates to improvements in devices for use in ruraldistricts for transporting mail matter between the house or dwelling andthe main road or route of the rural delivery mail carrier.

The object of the invention is to improve the construction and operationof mail carriers of this character and thereby render them morepractical and efficient and less expensive.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention consists of thenovel features of construction and the combination and arrangement ofparts hereinafter fully described and claimed, and illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation showingthe two terminals of the system and parts of the intermediate portion;Fig. 2 is a side elevation of one of the posts supporting the elevatedtrack and the car propelling cable; Fig. 3 is an enlarged perspectiveview of one of the double brackets for supporting and guiding the carpropelling cable; Fig. l is an enlarged view of the house end orterminal of the system; Fig. is an enlarged view of the car whichsupports the mail box;

' and Fig. 6 is a detail sectional view taken on the plane indicated bythe line 66 in Fig. 5.

My improved mail carrier system or apparatus comprises an elevated track1 formed preferably of wire of suitable strength and from which issuspended a traveling car 2 supporting a mail box 3. The track 1 issupported on angular brackets 4 arranged on the upper portions ofupright posts 5 located at suitable intervals between the house ordwelling and the main road or route of the rural delivery mail man. Inorder to relieve the track wire 1 of undue strains, I may provide at oneor both of the ends of said track wire a coil spring 6 whichengages anadjustably mounted anchoring hook 7 arranged on a suitable upright frame8.

The mail box 3 may be of any form and construction and is supported bymeans of hangers 9, shown more clearly in Fig. 5, within the car 2,which latter is constructed of heavy wire and is in the form of arectangular frame provided at the central portion of its top with anupstanding arm 10 supporting the journal of a grooved track wheel orpulley 11 adapted to run on the track 1 and sup ort the car. The bottomportion of the car frame is provided with clampin devices 12 to engagean endless car prope ling cable 13 which passes around a guide pulley14; at the road terminal or end of the system and around a drivingpulley 15 at the house terminal. This driving pulley 15 is fixed to ahorizontal shaft 16 journaled in suitable bearings on the frame 8 andcarries a pinion 17 which meshes with a gear 18 fixed to a secondhorizontal shaft 19. The latter may be actuated by any suitable meansbut I preferably employ a hand crank 20 for this purpose.

For the purpose of supporting and guiding the upper and lower stretchesof the endless propelling cable 13 I provide on each of the posts 5improved double brackets 21 each of which is formed from a piece ofheavy wire or other metal by bending it into substantially Ushape toprovide upper and lower horizontal arms 22, 23 united at their outerends by an upright portion 24 and having their inner ends bentdownwardly to provide attaching portions 25 to engage the post 5. Theportion of the wire or metal at the junction of the parts 22, 2st isbent or folded upon itself to provide a U-shaped guide 26 for the upperstretch of the cable 13, the guide being of such shape as to permit ofthe passage of the devices 12 as the car passes the bracket 21. Theportion of the wire or metal at the junction of the parts 21, 23 is bentor looped upon itself to provide a guide eye 27 which receives the lowerstretch or run of the cable 13 and effectively supports the same.

In order to enable the mail man or letter carrier to signal to theoccupants of the house that mail has been deposited in the box, I employthe track 1 as one conductor of an electric signaling system, the otherconductor of which may be the ground or a metallic wire. This signalingsystem includes a push button or other switch 28, an electric battery29, an electric hell or annunciator 30 and the usual electricalconnections.

I have illustrated in the drawings an apparatus or system adapted fordelivering mail to but one house, but it will be understood that the rowof poles 5 may be employed for supporting similar apparatus which willdeliver mail to other houses from the one road terminal.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed is:

1. In a mail carrying apparatus, the combination of an elevated tracksupported on posts, a car to travel on said track and carrying a mailbox, an endless propelling cable having its upper stretch connected tosaid car, means for guiding and actuating said cable at its end loopsand supporting and guiding brackets on said posts for the intermediateportions of the cable, each of said brackets having upper and lower armsunited by upright connecting portions and having an upper U-shaped guideto receive p the upper stretch of the cable and a lower guide eye toreceive the lower stretch of the cable.

2. In a mail carrying apparatus, the combination of a series of posts,supporting frames adjacent the endmost posts, an ele vated track'wiresupported by brackets on said posts and connected by springs to saidframes, other brackets on said posts and having upper and lower armsunited by upright portions and provided with upper U-shaped guides andlower guide eyes, a car supporting a mail box and suspended from apulley engaged with said track wire, an endless propelling cable,clampingdevices uniting the car to the upper stretch of said cable, theupper stretch of the cable being arranged in said U-shaped guides andthe lower stretch in said guide eyes, guide pulleys on the two framesfor the end loops of the cable, and gearing for rotating the lastmentioned pulley at the house terminal. In testimony whereof I hereuntoafliX my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

CLARENCE E. CONLE Y.

Witnesses JAMns M. LENN, VILLIAM PULVER.

